


Lost in the Woods

by kcstories



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: slythindor100, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-04
Updated: 2007-05-04
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7521796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcstories/pseuds/kcstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Pairing:</b> Harry/Draco (and some others mentioned)<br/><b>Warnings:</b> AU-ish. Fluff.<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> The Potterverse is JKR's, not mine. </p>
<p>Written for the "Double Entendre Fun Challenge". I was tagged by with the prompt, "We are lost, we can never go home."</p>
    </blockquote>





	Lost in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> **Pairing:** Harry/Draco (and some others mentioned)  
>  **Warnings:** AU-ish. Fluff.  
>  **Disclaimer:** The Potterverse is JKR's, not mine. 
> 
> Written for the "Double Entendre Fun Challenge". I was tagged by with the prompt, "We are lost, we can never go home."

A deep sigh sounds through the clearing. It’s followed by an exasperated: “This is completely _hopeless_. We're lost. We can never go home. Not in a million years!”  
  
Harry rolls his eyes. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Malfoy,” he snaps. "Stop acting like such a bloody drama queen. I'm sure we'll be able to find our way back to Hogwarts once the sun rises again."  
  
“Right. And what do you propose we do in the meantime?" He crosses his arms and raises one eyebrow in challenge.  
  
Harry shrugs. "I suppose we'll just have to figure out a safe way to spend the night here."  
  
"Safe." Sneering, Draco gestures to their surroundings. "You do realise where we are, don't you, Potter? The Forbidden Forest, which was declared off limits to each and every one of us for many _very_ good reasons, most of which have fangs, claws and Merlin only knows what else. Or had you already forgotten all about that part of the equation?"  
  
Harry shakes his head at his companion’s exaggerated dramatics. "Just because _you_ 're scared, Draco,” he says with a meaningful grin.  
  
"Are you telling me you're not? Potter, neither of us knows the first thing about more than half of the creatures that dwell in this godforsaken place."  
  
Frowning, Harry considers that last remark for a moment and decides Malfoy might actually have a point. "Maybe we should sleep in shifts?" he suggests.  
  
Draco lets out a humourless laugh. “You’re just about the last person in the whole school I’d trust to look out for me and guarantee my safety, especially if it were a matter of life and death."  
  
"Well, er-“ Harry frowns. “That works both ways, though, doesn’t it? I mean, I'd have to give you my complete trust as well."  
  
They look at each other for a few moments, both deeply lost in thought and not uttering a single word.  
  
"All right." Draco at last breaks the loaded silence. "I guess we could give that a try. It’s not like we have any other feasible options, at any rate."  
  
"You can sleep the first shift, if you’d like?" Harry suggests. “I’ll wake you in about three hours; does that sound okay?”  
  
He doesn’t fully grasp why he's being so generous. Or maybe he does. For one, he'd hate to attract the unwanted attention of some vicious, dark creature in this dangerous forest if Draco were to start arguing or worse, _yelling_ again.  
  
And besides, Harry's getting rather tired of the constant fights between them. Or maybe he's just getting tired full stop.  
  
“Very well,” Draco says. He shrugs off his cloak, folds it carefully, and uses it as a pillow when he lies down on the grass.  
  
Harry plops himself down next to him and sits with his back resting against one of the ancient trees behind them.  
  
"I can count on you not to fall asleep, can’t I, Potter?" Draco asks. He sounds more than a little worried, something that may suggest he has more faith in Potter’s ability to keep them safe than he lets on, although even a rabid Hippogriff on a rampage probably wouldn't get him to admit as much.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right. Good night, then."  
  
“‘Night, Malfoy.”  
  
It doesn’t take Draco very long to fall asleep. Harry supposes a good two hours of flying and a lot of fresh air will do that to a person. He glances down at his classmate and can’t help but notice the boy is shivering. Harry doesn’t know why he even cares – he assumes it must be his ‘saving people’ thing getting the better of him again, but nevertheless, he removes his own cloak and drapes it over his companion like a blanket.  
  
In his sleep, Draco snuggles into it, and the sight makes Harry smile.  
  
“You know, Malfoy,” he mutters softly to himself, “you're not so bad when you’re asleep.”  
  
_Actually,_ he adds in his mind, _you look rather adorable._  
  
Wait - what?!  
  
Harry shakes his head and takes a deep, calming breath. His exhaustion must be playing tricks on him.  


* * *

  
  
“Ah,” a cheerful female voice exclaims. "Would you just look at that, Severus!”  
  
Down on the ground, Hogwarts’ two greatest rivals are sound asleep, and seem completely lost to the world around them. Harry Potter is slumped against a tree. Lying beside him is Draco Malfoy. Malfoy’s head is resting on Potter’s chest and one of his arms is draped almost possessively around his companion’s waist.  
  
“Sweet Salazar!” is all Snape can manage.  
  
"What a great relief! They’re safe," McGonagall says softly.  
  
" _Safe_ , Minerva?” Severus shakes his head. “Draco is _snuggling_ with Harry Potter. Do you even dare to imagine what would happen if Lucius ever found out about this?”  
  
“At least they’re getting along,” she offers.  
  
“Yes,” he says grimly. “That part of it worries me even more.”  
  
Two pairs of eyes fly open wide, as the startled boys on the grass wake up, wondering what the sudden noise is all about and where it’s even coming from.  
  
"Good morning, gentlemen,” Snape says dryly. “I trust you slept well.”  
  
Horrified, the two look at each other and instantly jump apart.  
  
“This is all your fault, Potter,” Draco grumbles, but his words are only spoken out of habit. He doesn’t seem genuinely angry, merely embarrassed; very much so.  
  
“Five million points from Gryffindor!” Snape announces, instantly earning himself a stern look from his colleague.  
  
“Fine,” he mutters. “Make that a hundred instead.”  
  
McGonagall coughs pointedly.  
  
“Oh, all right." The man sighs resignedly. "And eighty points from Slytherin also.”  
  
The four return to the castle in complete silence.  


* * *

  
  
Professors Snape and McGonagall immediately head over to the staff room, leaving Harry and Draco behind. Standing in the corridor, the boys look at each other awkwardly. "Um," they both mumble at the same time.  
  
Then Draco seems to regain some of his composure. "You fell asleep, Potter,” he says in an accusing tone.  
  
"Yeah.” Harry shuffles his feet. “Sorry about that. I suppose I was pretty knackered, too."  
  
“Hm.”  
  
They look at each other again. Draco struggles to come up with some cutting remark, but soon finds himself unable to. And if he’s honest with himself, he has to admit he doesn’t really want to start another argument either. Not now. Maybe he’s still too tired or something, but oddly enough, the next thing that comes out of his mouth is: "Was it just my imagination or did Snape actually look kind of green when we first woke up?"  
  
Harry looks at Draco, who’s standing there, smirking at him, and Harry laughs. “Yeah, he certainly did. I guess we gave him quite a shock. He’s probably Obliviating himself even as we speak.”  
  
Draco has to laugh too, and just like that, things stop being awkward.  
  
Draco is the first to speak again. "I have to go and freshen up. I have class in half an hour; Astronomy. I'll see you later."  
  
And then, with a brief wave of his hand, he walks off.  
  
Harry hesitates. He bites his bottom lip and nods to himself before he runs after Draco. "Oi! Malfoy! Hang on!"  
  
Draco turns around. "What is it?" he asks, looking confused and just a little intrigued.  
  
Harry swallows hard. “Um, do you- Do you suppose we could do that again some time?"  
  
“Do what again?” Draco enquires with a frown. "Get lost in the woods?"  
  
Harry wrings his hands. He's a little scared to look anywhere but down at his shoes. “No, er... I was thinking more along the lines of going flying, or having a Quidditch one-on-one or um, something."  
  
Draco smirks. "And why, pray tell, would you make a suggestion like that to me, of all people?”  
  
"Well,” Harry says quickly. "Now that Hermione and Ron are together and Ginny and Neville are too, and Luna and that Ravenclaw bloke... I don't, um... and er, it was kind of fun too yesterday, wasn’t it, before we lost our way?"  
  
Draco smiles as he studies the nervous, practically rattled boy in front of him, and he’s instantly reminded of Pansy and Greg, and Vince and Millie, and besides, isn’t being Harry Potter’s friend something he has wanted really badly for a very long time now?  
  
"Fine," he at last says. "It just so happens, Potter, that I have quite a bit of spare time these days, so I might actually take you up on that."  
  
"Tonight at nine? Quidditch Stands?" Harry blurts out, realising just a little too late that he probably comes across as far too eager.  
  
Draco chuckles. "All right, Potter. I’ll be there, but now I really have to go-"  
  
"Yeah. Sure. Fine. See you later," Harry says. He gives Draco a wide, goofy grin. He turns around and runs off, and the grin never leaves his face, not even when he reaches the Gryffindor Common Room and is confronted with the many astonished looks his friends are giving him.  
  
Meanwhile, at the other side of the castle, Draco saunters back to the dungeons with the smug type of smirk Pansy will probably demand a thorough explanation for, the very second she lays eyes on him.


End file.
